Holy Mucho Nachos!

I did not make this monstrosity of a nacho platter - I unknowingly ordered the biggest half order of nachos at a restaurant in Nashville that I'd ever seen!!! The picture doesn't do it justice, it was much bigger in person. Needless to say after I was done with them, it hardly looked like I had touched them. I thought I'd share the toppings that were on it, to give ideas for your own nachos.



Gigantic Nachos

Ingredients:

Tri color tortilla chips,

salsa

sour cream

chili with beef and beans

green onions and yellow onions

tomatoes

jalepenos

lettuce

black olives

refried beans

shredded Monterrey Jack and cheddar cheese

I think that's it......

A Different Kind of Rice Krispie Treat

I've heard so much about The Pioneer Woman's Crispy Yogurt Chicken, and I've made a couple of other things from her blog, so I decided to go for it. Then after reading more about it, it was hard for some people to get it crispy and I was not a fan of all that butter. Then I came across another blog's healthier adaptation of it, and I went with that one instead.

This is definitely a keeper, I wish the picture turned out better....but give it a try. It was baked and crispy, yet juicy inside, and I served it with a baked potato and peas. I only marinated it for about 2 hours, I'm sure if I had done it longer, it would have been even better.

Oven Fried Chicken with Yogurt
adapted from Reading,Riting and Recipes

* The following quantities are approximates

Chicken parts of your choice - I used breasts
1-2 cups fat free plain yogurt
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
juice of one lemon
2 cups (or so) of Rice Krispies or Special K cereal (something rice based and puffy) I used Rice Krispies
1 cup (or so) bread crumbs I used panko bread crumbs
Salt & Pepper
Cayenne Pepper I omitted
I added some dried parsley for taste & color, I added some to the bread crumbs as well as a sprinkle on top of the chicken

Mix the yogurt, garlic and lemon together and toss your chicken with it to get it all coated. Let marinate for several hours (but if you have no time, you can skip the marinating and just move on to breading).

Crush the cereal in a food processor or blender. When you have crumbs, add the bread crumbs and season with salt, pepper & cayenne to taste. If you're out of cereal or crumbs, you can use all of one or the other, but the combo is nice and I really love the texture of the cereal in the final product so I'd be more inclined to use all cereal.

Roll the chicken in the coating and get a good thick coating on each piece.Place the pieces on a baking sheet lined with foil. I have found that the Reynolds non-stick foil works really really well for this and makes things nice and crispy. If you don't have it, just spray your regular foil with cooking spray. Spray the tops of the chicken lightly with cooking spray or an olive oil mister.

Bake at 350 until cooked through and the coating is browned and crisp, about an hour for bone-in pieces, 30-45 minutes for boneless.The combination of the release foil and just a touch of spray on the breading gives you a super crisp crust, without any added fat.

Momma's Boys

Let me introduce you to the most spoiled kittens ever (OK, they're 3 years old, but they'll always be my babies) - Socks & Thumper. While shopping in Knoxville, I spotted these food dishes - they were just too adorable & appropriate to pass up. They have already happily enjoyed their breakfast, lunches and dinners from them (Thumper has been known to eat multiple breakfasts, lunches and dinners...he's the bigger one....)

The Last of My Garden.....

This is my first year that I attempted growing peppers and full size tomatoes - it was sort of a success. I didn't get as many as I wanted, but my peppers actually turned yellow & red, although they didn't get too big - they did taste great though. Hopefully I'll plant a much larger garden next year and try some new plants and herbs.

The Way The Muffin Crumbles

...and boy was it good!! I wasn't really feeling banana bread, and haven't made muffins in a while. I came across this recipe while looking for something a little different. These are definitely a little more decadent - not something you can eat for breakfast everyday....but they are soooo worth it.
And be prepared - your house will smell amazing.

Banana Crumb Muffins
from Allrecipes

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter

DIRECTIONS:

1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 10 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.

2.In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.

3.In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.

4.Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes (Mine were done around the 22 minute mark), until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

Use Up Your Tomatoes!

The end of summer means that the last of my tomatoes are ready to be picked, and the herbs are abundant. I found this meatless dish and it was exactly what I was looking for -it's quick, easy, and creamy (but not drowned in sauce) and tastes fresh with the lightly sauteed tomatoes and herbs.


Fresh Tomato-Mushroom-Basil Pasta

adapted from My Recipes/Southern Living

Prep: 15 min. Cook: 35 min.
Yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients
8-oz. package bow tie pasta
1 small onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
3 cloves of roasted garlic, smashed into a paste
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups seeded and chopped plum tomatoes
4-6-oz. package sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/4 tsp dried crushed red pepper

1/2 cup whipping cream
3 ounces 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

2 tbsp chopped freshly chopped parsley
1 tbsp shredded Parmesan

2 tbsp grated Romano

1/2 cup frozen, thawed, drained spinach

Preparation
1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

2. Sauté onion in hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in tomatoes and next 3 ingredients; cook, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes. Stir in spinach till combined.

3. Stir in whipping cream, cream cheese, roasted garlic paste, parsley and basil. Cook, stirring constantly, until cream cheese melts and sauce is smooth. Serve over cooked pasta; sprinkle with Parmesan/Romano cheese. Sprinkle with a little more fresh herbs.

Omnivore's Hundred

I've seen this on many blogs, so I thought I would try it. I'm not a huge meat or seafood fan...so my list isn't very exciting. I had to look up many of the items, I've never heard of them before!

From Very Good Taste Omnivore’s Hundred:

“Below is a list of 100 things that I think every good omnivore should have tried at least once in their life. The list includes fine food, strange food, everyday food and even some pretty bad food - but a good omnivore should really try it all. Don’t worry if you haven’t, mind you; neither have I, though I’ll be sure to work on it. Don’t worry if you don’t recognize everything in the hundred, either; Wikipedia has the answers.”

If you want to join in, here are the rules:
1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black Pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie Gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Head Cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried Goat
42. Whole Insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whiskey from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea Urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frog Legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom Yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe Beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

** I scored a 41...I'm not very adventurous!